CHAPTER SEVENTEEN #3
“No, I do,” Tanner said hastily because he was kind of a manwhore, but he wasn’t that bad. Also, he wasn’t going to forget Leif. Not that he was going to tell Mickey that. “I just, um, didn’t want you to think I was going to get you sick again or anything.”
“No, Rafe is the one who is sick now.”
“That wasn’t my fault this time!” Tanner yelped. “I swear!”
He still felt so bad that last year he’d made out with someone who had some kind of virus or whatever that had gotten everyone on the team sick.
The whole situation had been horrible, and it was what had caused Mickey to have the ear infection that everyone thought was a concussion.
Tanner was pretty sure he’d single-handedly cost the team the chance of making much of a playoff run.
Which was almost impressive, when he thought about it that way. He was that important.
“I know that,” Mickey said calmly. “No one is blaming you.”
“Now,” Tanner said darkly, because on the wall of the locker room there was still a whiteboard sign with a picture of him and the words “My name is Tanner Clayton. It has been ___ days since I got anyone sick.” So rude. His team was full of assholes.
Although he was rather proud of his latest streak. And he was pretty sure that the latest sniffles were just from everyone coming back from Bye week after a bunch of travel.
Maybe Erik Wyatt had picked a bug up from the college student he’d hooked up with in Cabo. Maybe Anker had picked it up from someone sneezing on his flight back from Antigua. Tanner couldn’t possibly be to blame for every sickness.
“Well,” Mickey said. “It’s good that you’re seeing someone.”
“I’m not seeing anyone!” Tanner protested. “We’re just like … having some fun.”
“Why don’t you meet up in person?”
“Oh, he doesn’t live in Boston. He lives in New Y—the New England area,” Tanner corrected, trying to keep it vague.
Honestly, he wasn’t even sure if New York was part of the new England area or not.
He was pretty sure Boston was though. Whatever, Mickey was from Germany.
How would he know? “He’s, you know … close-ish but not close enough to hook up with in person on the reg. ”
“It’s nice that he is important enough to you that you would rather see him on your phone than see someone else in person.”
Tanner blinked. “Well, I don’t know about that.”
“You have not had anyone over here lately. Or gone out much. Other than the comedian show we went to see.”
“Comedy show,” Tanner corrected even though, to be perfectly honest, Mickey’s English was usually better than Tanner’s.
“Comedy show,” Mickey corrected.
“That’s not true,” Tanner protested.
Mickey looked confused. “You just said it was a comedy show? Is that not right?”
“No, not that,” Tanner said. “The—the going out bit. I’ve gone out!”
“With the team, yes,” Mickey agreed. “But to go pick up people? To meet people on your hookup app? I don’t think so. Not unless you leave in the middle of the night or something that I don’t know about.”
“Uhh,” Tanner said, his brain whirling. There was no way. That couldn’t be true! He wasn’t—he wasn’t only chatting to Leif now, was he? He thought about the last time he logged into the hookup app and grimaced. Maybe? For a couple of weeks it had been kinda like that.
“I think it is nice, yes?” Mickey said. “It is good you met someone who you like.”
“I don’t …” But that was a lie if he said he didn’t like Leif. Of course he liked Leif. “I like him, sure,” Tanner said with a laugh. “He’s a pretty good dude. But we’re not—we’re not dating or anything.”
“Okay,” Mickey said, like he didn’t believe Tanner but was playing along. “However you feel, I think it is nice.”
“Cool. I’m, uh, gonna go clean up,” Tanner said because his stomach was beginning to itch like a motherfucker.
“Okay. Good night, Tanner.”
“Night, Mouse,” Tanner said. “Tell Turtle I hope he feels better soon.”
“I will.”
Tanner went into the bathroom and Mickey disappeared down the hall. Tanner thought about hopping in the shower, but he still couldn’t find his stupid shower cap, so he turned on the water in the sink instead.
As he let it run hot, he stood there, arms braced on the counter as he thought about what Mickey had said.
It was the first time Tanner had ever regretted having roommates. He fucking loved Mickey and Rafe, but they were always there.
They went out on dates sometimes, but not a ton and obviously they’d noticed that he wasn’t going out as much. How dumb could Tanner be? He should have been more careful.
It wasn’t … it didn’t mean anything that he’d only been talking to Leif lately. It was just … Tanner was having kind of a weird stretch or something. Right?
By the time Tanner cleaned up and went back in his room, he wasn’t tired at all. The little hamster in his head was racing on its wheel, trying to make sense of everything Mickey had said. He found his phone tangled in the bed sheets and bit his lip at the message from Leif.
He opened it. Good job. Hope you sleep well.
U 2 Princess, Tanner typed. He plugged his phone in with Leif’s cable, rolled on his stomach, and screamed into the pillow.
Fuuuuuuuck.
What was he doing with Leif? What was happening to him?